Ohio Lottery VIP Millions: $1 million prize claimed by man who previously won $5,000; and all about the remaining prizes

An Ohio man who won a $1 million lottery prize had previously won $5,000 and several smaller prizes of $100. Justin Apathy, from Olmsted Township, claimed the top prize in the Ohio Lottery's VIP Millions scratch-off game. According to the Ohio Lottery, Apathy purchased the winning ticket at Shaker’s MarketPlace, located at 27091 Bagley Road in Olmsted Township.

The game offers four $1 million top prizes. Winners can choose to receive $40,000 annually for 25 years or take a one-time lump-sum payment of $500,000. Apathy opted for the lump-sum payment of $500,000. He reportedly plans to use the money to “set up his future by investing.”

Ohio Lottery Winner Had Previously Won $5,000

This was not Apathy's first lottery win. He had previously won $5,000 on one occasion and several prizes worth $100. “He was wondering how he could win again, so he looked at the Ohio Lottery website and noticed that there were still five top prizes for the VIP Millions game,” according to a press release from the Ohio Lottery.


“He decided to see if he could get lucky and win one of the big prizes. He had several $100 wins but kept feeling like he was meant to win big.”

Feeling lucky, Apathy decided to buy four tickets this time. While three tickets did not win a prize, the fourth turned out to be the winner.

VIP Millions is a $50 scratch-off ticket that the Ohio Lottery describes as offering players the best chance of winning $1 million in the state's lottery history. The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 4.02.

Man Thought He Had Won $4,000 at First

According to a report by WKYC citing the Ohio Lottery's statement, Apathy initially thought he had won $4,000 while scratching the fourth ticket.

“As he scratched the fourth ticket, something was different,” the report said.

“At first, he thought he won $4,000. But he checked the back of the ticket and that wasn’t one of the prizes. He was breathing hard and kept telling himself, ‘Don’t pass out!’ Once he calmed down, he looked again and saw that he had actually won $40,000 – for 25 years!”

Ohio Lottery VIP Millions: Prizes Remaining

According to the Ohio Lottery website, the following prizes remained in the VIP Millions game as of October 12, 2026:

• $1 million prize ($40,000 a year for 25 years): 4 remaining
• $50,000 prize: 0 remaining
• $20,000 prize: 36 remaining
• $5,000 prize: 83 remaining
• $1,000 prize: 1,253 remaining
• $500 prize: 6,026 remaining
• $100 prize: 112,813 remaining